Letting It Go
by Kristen3
Summary: David wants to do something special for his mom's birthday, so Niles suggests a song. But David isn't quite sure he can handle singing in front of everyone. Birthday one-shot for Andress Jade!


**Author's Note: **Thanks to Anika (**BaronessBlixen**) for planting the idea for this in my head, even though it's not a direct sequel to her story. Also, I'm dedicating this story to Andress (**Andress Jade**), in honor of her birthday, and as thanks for her support! :)

David nervously knocked on his father's office door.

Niles smiled at the sound. Daphne never knocked that way, which meant it could only be one person. "Come in, David."

"Hi, Dad," David said as he entered. "Mom's not around here, is she?"

"No, she's still with your grandfather, I believe. What's on your mind?"

"Well, you know how her birthday's coming up? I'm not sure what I should give her. I don't really have that much money..."

Niles loved that his son was so thoughtful. "Well, I am making dinner for her this weekend, and I could use another pair of hands in the kitchen."

David shrugged. "Well, OK. But I wanted to do something that was just from me. I know she loves anything I do, but I want to make this really special." He sighed in frustration.

Niles thought for a second. David did have a number of talents. It would be easy for him to make something for his mother in one form or another. But Niles knew David brought home many of his projects from art class to give to his mother. That probably wasn't what he wanted now. Which meant it had to be something else. "Well, how about singing? You could do a song for her!"

"A song, all by myself? I'm not sure that's a good idea!" David got nervous at the very thought. He'd been in a few school plays, where he showed off his singing voice, but he always had the whole class up there with him.

"I believe I could help you out," Niles offered. "We could do a duet. Your mother would love it!"

"I guess that could work," David agreed. "But what song?"

Niles thought of the many songs he and Daphne enjoyed. But then he remembered this was to be a gift from David, so maybe it should be a song he would enjoy. "What's the song from that movie you and your mom like? _Frozen_?"

"Oh! You mean _Let it Go_!" David could already hear the song in his head. He'd seen the movie several times now.

"That's the one!" Niles replied. "We could do that!"

"That's a girl's song, though."

Niles laughed. "So we change a couple of pronouns. How about I look up some sheet music for it, and we rehearse at your grandfather's in a couple of days?"

"OK!" David found himself grinning. This might actually turn out to be fun.

"_Let the storm rage on!"_

"_The cold never bothered me anyway!"_

Rehearsals for the song seemed to be going along well. "How'd I sound?" David asked.

"Quite good," Niles replied. "I'm telling you, your mother's going to love this!"

David blushed. "I hope so!"

Martin walked over to the piano. "Trust me, you sounded great. I once tried to hit the high note on _O Holy Night_, and I did it so bad, even poor Eddie was scared!"

David laughed. He was starting to feel a bit better about this.

Somehow, the week flew by, and it was time for the birthday dinner for Daphne. "This was certainly a nice change," Daphne said with a smile. "A wonderful dinner, and I didn't even have to lift a finger."

"This is the very least that you deserve, my love," Niles said, kissing her as he took a handful of plates into the kitchen. David helped by grabbing a few more things to clear the table.

Daphne laughed. Niles never missed an opportunity to show how much he loved her. Even though she saw Martin every day for his therapy, Daphne was grateful for the opportunity to see him and Ronee in a different setting. These family dinners were never quite the same with Frasier gone, but even still, the tradition remained.

Just then, David and Niles returned from the kitchen. "Well, David, is there something you'd like to say?" Niles asked, giving his son a nudge.

David blushed a bit, not used to being the center of attention. "Mom, dinner was Dad's gift tonight. I just helped out. But I do sort of have something of my own in mind. I hope you like it!"

Daphne smiled. "Of course I'll like it. I think this dinner was already more than enough. I can't wait to see what you're going to do!"

Niles and David made their way to the piano. "David's going to sing a song, with a little help," Niles informed the group. He sat on the bench and began to play. Niles helped out a bit with the vocals, but he made sure that David was doing most of the singing.

David felt a bit nervous at first, but as he got into the song, he pictured Elsa walking up to her ice palace in the movie, and he wasn't really aware of his family watching him. _"Let it go, let it go. Can't hold it back anymore!" _

By the time the song was finished, Daphne found herself wiping a tear. "Oh, David, that was wonderful! You sing beautifully, just like your father!"

David couldn't help feeling embarrassed as his mother hugged and kissed him. "Thanks. I was really nervous, but Dad and Grandpa helped me."

"It can be a bit hard to do something you're not comfortable with in front of people. But I'm very proud of you for doing this," Daphne said.

Niles took hold of one of Daphne's hands. "Once, when I was nervous about dancing in front of people, your mother helped me get over it. Everyone stared at us, because she was the most beautiful woman there."

Daphne smiled as her husband recalled the night of the fateful Snow Ball. She kissed him deeply. When the kiss ended, Daphne turned once again to her son. "See what can happen if you just get over your fears a little bit? It's like the song says, you just have to let it go."

David knew it wasn't quite that easy. His parents were deeply in love, and they had no problem showing it. But they seemed to think that love made anything possible. "I guess so," he said with a shrug.

Martin sensed his grandson wasn't quite believing what his parents were saying. "Hey, David, I know it's hard to believe in something like this. If someone had told me a few years ago, I'd find someone to love and start a new life with, I never would've believed them. But I met Ronee, and I didn't give in to all of my fears. Look where we are now."

Hearing his words, Ronee couldn't help kissing her husband. "I know I never would've predicted I'd be a _grandmother_ now!" She laughed.

"And, yet, you are," Martin teased. "You became one, oh, about a second or two after we were married." He grinned, recalling the way their wedding and David's birth had happened almost simultaneously.

"Thanks for the reminder!" Ronee said, with a playful shove toward her husband.

Niles laughed at the way his father acted around Ronee. It made him remember how grateful he was that Martin had found a second chance at happiness. "See, David? We all wouldn't be where we are if we let our fears get in the way. So you keep that in mind next time you get nervous about performing, OK?"

David still wasn't quite convinced that getting over his fears could be this easy. But with everyone around him saying the same things, it was hard to ignore all of it. "OK," he said with a shrug. There was no way of knowing what might come of it. But there'd be no way of finding out if he didn't try.

**The End**


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